Rochester, NY — On April 24th, Wafler Farms, an apple producer and nursery in upstate New York, failed to notify UFW that it would implement the union contract ordered by a NY State arbitrator. This illegal refusal to honor a contract amounts to Wafler management willfully violating state law and knowingly denying its workers their right to a union.
“Wafler’s failure to implement a union contract by the legally required deadline represents an a unprecedented escalation of its already unjust and illegal treatment of its workers,” said UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. “Workers at Wafler are the first to test the arbitration provisions of New York’s historic 2019 farm labor law. They have put their faith in the process. They deserve action from the State of New York to defend the law and uphold their rights. Wafler Farms is violating state law and must be held fully accountable.”
Workers at Wafler Farms have been fighting for a UFW union contract since 2023, when UFW was first certified as the lawful representative of Wafler employees in 2023. Multiple appeals of that certification by Wafler have been rejected since. The UFW filed for arbitration on May 1, 2024, following Wafler Farms’ continued refusal to negotiate a union contract. Workers at Wafler Farms have continued to express concerns about unfair treatment in the workplace, including instances of verbal abuse documented by UFW members and exposed in a now-viral video.
“This fight will end with a UFW contract at Wafler Farms,” continued UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. “It’s just a damn shame Wafler Farms is going to have to be forced into respecting their workers rights and following the law, instead of doing what is right and respecting worker free choice.”
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